Cowcehtrator beck



Dec 14 192a.

IlII-I l\ A. H. STEB BINS CONCENTRATOB BECK Filed Jan. 19, 1926 Patented Dec. 14, 1926.

teale715 A'ETENT OFFICE.

ALIBER'I H. STEBBENS, 035 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CONCENTRATOR DECK.

Application filed January 19, 1926. Serial No. 82,183.

This invention relates to concentrator decks having rifiies extending over the deck surface, and more particularly to the construction and arrangement of the rifiies.

The decks of table concentrators are commonly provided with a laterally inclined deck surface over which a number of riiiies extend, and these riflles are arranged so that the lighter materials will flow laterally over the riiiles toward the lower side of the deck surface, while the concentrates are directed more or less lengthwise of the deck toward a concentrate wall. In many cases the riffles are inclined to the length of the deck so that they will direct the concentrate toward the upper side of the inclined deck surface.

It sometimes happens that the coarse materials tend to clog between the riifles instead of flowing lengthwise therebetween, and the very fine materials may tend to pack between the riflles, which is objection-' able. The tendency of the' materials to clog or pack between the riflles may be prevented by increasing the distance between the riftles, but this reduces the number of riftles acting to separate the materials, and is open to the 'further objection that if the lateral inclination of the deck surface is quite steep the bank of materials resting against one riflie may not extend entirely across the wide space between a pair of rillles, whereupon some of the air apertures in the deck surfaces will not be covered by the materials being treated.

Having in mind the foregoing, the present invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the rifHes whereby they may be spaced sufficiently far apart to prevent the materials from clogging or packing therebetween, while at the same time danger of the materials shifting laterally sufliciently to uncover some of the air apertures in the deck surface is avoided.

An important feature of the present in r vention therefore resides in a deck surface having a series of riiiles that are spaced a substantial distance apart and having one or more low rifiies disposed between the widely spaced higher riffles.

It is found that the tendency of the materials to pack or clog between rifiles that are close together decreases as the finer dustlike materials are removed; that is, the tendency of the materials to pack or clog between 5 the rifles, decreases as the materials approach the concentrate wall or discharge end of the deck. It therefore follows that when a combination of high and low rifi'les is employed in accordance with the present invention, the height of the low riiiies may be increased near the concentrate wall without appreciably increasing the tendency of the materials to pack or clog, and this is desirable as it increases the separating action of the riftles upon the materials that pile up against the concentrate wall.

The various features of the invention and novel combination of parts will be best understood from the following description when read in connection with the accom panying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a concentrate deck provided with ritlies constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional perspective view taken on the line 22. of Fig. 1; and

Fig, 3 is a sectional view taken thru a portion of the deck parallel to the riflles.

The concentrator deck shown may for the most part have any usual or preferred construction, and may comprise a closed casing or receptacle 10 adapted to receive the air which is forced upwardly thru apertures in the deck surface 11. Air under pressure may be supplied to the chamber elow the deck surface by a pipe 12 connected by the flexible connection 13 to the hood 14 at one end of the casing 10.

The deck may have the usual concentrate wall 15 provided with the buffer blocks 16 against which the materials are directed by the ritfles to be described. The deck surface 11 is usually supported at a transverse inclination as shown, so that the lighter materials will flow laterally over the rililes toward the lower side of the deck, and the deck surface shown has the air apertures '17 for directing currents of air upwardly thru the materials being treated.

The deck so far described forms no essential part of the present invention and may have the usual or any preferred construction. As above indicated the present invention relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of the riffles now to be described.

In accordance with the present invention 19. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated two low rifiles 19 are provided be tween each pair of high rifl'les 18, but the number of low ritiles may be increased or decreased as found desirable. The low riffles 19 do not rise from the deck surface a sufficient distance to permit the materials to clog or pack therebetween, and the distance between the high riilles 18 is su'liiciently great to prevent clogging or packing between them.

The low riliies, as will be apparent from Fig. 2, serve to form one or more blanks 20 of the materials between pair of high riflles to thereby prevent the apertures in the deck surface from being entirely uncovered-by the failure of a singlebank of materialsto eX- tend entirely across the space between two high 1' iles. The'low riifles help alsotozgromote separation of the materials.

It is often desirable that as many high rifiles be provided to terminate adjacent the concentrate wall as other conditions may warrant, and to this end the height of the .low rifiies 19 may be increased adjacent the concentrate wall as indicated by 21. This may he done without appreciably increasing the tendency of the materials to pack or clog between the rifiles, because most of the light fine materials which are likely to retard the flow of the materials between the ritiles have been removed before the concentrates ap proach the concentrate wall.

In some cases it may be unnecessary to extend the low riffles all the way back to the-wall 2:2 at thematerial receiving end of the deck because the layer of materials upon this portion of the deck surface may be sufficiently thick to prevent the apertures from becoming uncovered. Some of the low riffles are therefore shown as terminating short of this wall as indicated by 23. T he materials are fed to the deck by the hopper 2d.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a distinct advantage in the operation of a concentrator deck is secured by providing the deck with high and low rifiies in accordance with the present invention.

What is claimed is 1. A deck for a concentrate table, comprising in combination, a deck surface that is supported at a transverse inclination, high ritlles extending diagonally over the deck surface and spaced a substantial distance apart to prevent the materials from clogging between them, and low rifl'les disposed between the high rifiles and having less length than the high riffies so that they do not eX- tend over that portion of the deck surface lying near the feed hopper.

A deck for a concentrator table comprising in combination, a deck surface that is supported at a transverse inclination, high rifiles extending diagonally over the deck surface and .spaceda substantial distance apart to prevent thematerials from clogging between them, and two low ritfies disposed between a pair of high riffles and having less length than the high riifles so that they do not extend over that portion of the deck surface lying near the feed hopper.

A deck for a concentrator table, comprising in combination, a deck surface that is supported at a transverse inclination, high rifiles extending diagonally over the deck surface and spaced a substantial distance apart to prevent the materials from clogging between them, low riffles disposed between the high ritlles and each having its height gradually increased near the concentrate wall to promote piling up of the concentrates against said wall, and the low rittles having less length than the high riflles so that they do not extend over that portion of the deck surface lying near the material receiving end of the deck.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. STEBBINS. 

